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being appointed acting Prime Minister by outgoing President Gemayel in 1988. Awn and his supporters feared Ta'if would diminish Christian power in Lebanon and increase the influence of Syria. Awn was granted amnesty and allowed to travel in France in August 199l. Since the removal of Awn, the Lebanese Government has made substantial progress in strengthening the central government, rebuilding government institutions, and extending its authority throughout the nation. The LAF has deployed from Beirut north along the coast road to Tripoli, southeast into the Shuf mountains, and south to Sidon and Tyre. Many militiamen from Christian and Muslim groups have evacuated Beirut for their strongholds in the north, south, and east of the country. Some heavy weapons possessed by the militias have been turned over to the government, or sold outside the country, which has begun a plan to integrate some militiamen into the military and the internal security forces. Lebanon and Syria signed a treaty of friendship and cooperation in May 1991. Lebanon continues to be partially occupied by Syrian troops, which are deployed in Beirut, its southern suburbs, the Bekaa Valley, and northern Lebanon. Iran also maintains a small contingent of revolutionary guards in the Bekaa Valley to support Lebanese Islamic fundamentalist groups. Israel withdrew the bulk of its forces from the south in 1985, although it still retains troops in a 10-km-deep security zone north of its border with Lebanon. Israel arms and trains the Army of South Lebanon (ASL), which also occupies the security zone and is Israel's first line of defense against attacks on its northern border. The following description is based on the present constitutional and customary practices of the Lebanese system.

:Lebanon Economy

Overview: Since 1975 civil war has seriously damaged Lebanon's economic infrastructure, cut national output by half, and all but ended Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub. Following October 1990, however, a tentative peace has enabled the central government to begin restoring control in Beirut, collect taxes, and regain access to key port and government facilities. The battered economy has also been propped up by a financially sound banking system and resilient small- and medium-scale manufacturers. Family remittances, banking transactions, manufactured and farm exports, the narcotics trade, and international emergency aid are main sources of foreign exchange. In the relatively settled year of 1991, industrial production, agricultural output, and exports showed substantial gains. The further rebuilding of the war-ravaged country could provide a major stimulus to the economy in 1992, provided that the political and military situation remains reasonably calm.GDP: exchange rate conversion - $4.8 billion, per capita $1,400; real growth rate NA (1991 est.)Inflation rate (consumer prices): 30% (1991)Unemployment rate: 35% (1991 est.)Budget: revenues $533 million; expenditures $1.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991 est.)Exports: $700 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.) commodities: agricultural products, chemicals, textiles, precious and semiprecious metals and jewelry, metals and metal products partners: Saudi Arabia 16%, Switzerland 8%, Jordan 6%, Kuwait 6%, US 5%Imports: $1.8 billion (c.i.f., 1990 est.) commodities: NA partners: Italy 14%, France 12%, US 6%, Turkey 5%, Saudi Arabia 3%External debt: $900 million (1990 est.)Industrial production: growth rate NA%Electricity: 1,381,000 kW capacity; 3,870 million kWh produced, 1,170 kWh per capita (1989)Industries: banking, food processing, textiles, cement, oil refining, chemicals, jewelry, some metal fabricatingAgriculture: accounts for about one-third of GDP; principal products - citrus fruits, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco, hemp (hashish), sheep, and goats; not self-sufficient in grainIllicit drugs: illicit producer of opium and hashish for the international drug trade; opium poppy production in Al Biqa` is increasing; hashish production is shipped to Western Europe, Israel, US, and the Middle East

Flag: divided diagonally from the lower hoist side corner; the upper half is white bearing the brown silhouette of a large shield with crossed spear and club; the lower half is a diagonal blue band with a green triangle in the corner

Long-form name: Republic of LiberiaType: republicCapital: MonroviaAdministrative divisions: 13 counties; Bomi, Bong, Grand Bassa, Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, SinoeIndependence: 26 July 1847Constitution: 6 January 1986Legal system: dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common law for the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten tribal practices for indigenous sectorNational holiday: Independence Day, 26 July (1847)Executive branch: president, vice president, CabinetLegislative branch: bicameral National Assembly consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of RepresentativesJudicial branch: People's Supreme CourtLeaders: Chief of State and Head of Government: interim President Dr. Amos SAWYER (since 15 November 1990); Vice President, vacant (since August 1991); note - this is an interim government appointed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) that will be replaced after elections are held under a West African - brokered peace plan; rival rebel factions led by Prince Y. JOHNSON and Charles TAYLOR are challenging the SAWYER government's legitimacy while observing a tenuous cease-fire; the former president, Gen. Dr. Samuel Kanyon DOE, was killed on 9 September 1990 by Prince Y. JOHNSONPolitical parties and leaders: National Democratic Party of Liberia (NDPL), Augustus CAINE, chairman; Liberian Action Party (LAP), Emmanuel KOROMAH, chairman; Unity Party (UP), Carlos SMITH, chairman; United People's Party (UPP), Gabriel Baccus MATTHEWS, chairmanSuffrage: universal at age 18Elections: President: last held on 15 October 1985 (next to be held NA); results - Gen. Dr. Samuel Kanyon DOE (NDPL) 50.9%, Jackson DOE (LAP) 26.4%, other 22.7%; note - President Doe was killed by rebel forces on 9 September 1990 Senate: last held on 15 October 1985 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (26 total) NDPL 21, LAP 3, UP 1, UPP 1 House of Representatives: last held on 15 October 1985 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (64 total) NDPL 51, LAP 8, UP 3, UPP 2Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO

:Liberia Government

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Eugenia A. WORDSWORTH-STEVENSON; Chancery at 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011; telephone (202) 723-0437 through 0440; there is a Liberian Consulate General in New York US: Ambassador Peter J. de VOS; Embassy at 111 United Nations Drive, Monrovia (mailing address is P. O. Box 98, Monrovia, or APO AE 09813; telephone [231] 222991 through 222994; FAX (231) 223-710Flag: 11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a white five-pointed star on a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner; the design was based on the US flag

Branches: Monrovia-based Armed Forces of Liberia (Army only) along with a police force; rest of country controlled by the army of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) insurgent groupManpower availability: males 15-49, 585,224; 312,420 fit for military service; no conscriptionDefense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP

Overview: Lithuania is striving to become a small, independent, largely privatized economy rather than a segment of a huge, centrally planned economy. Although substantially above average in living standards and technology in the old USSR, Lithuania historically lagged behind Latvia and Estonia in economic development. It is ahead of its Baltic neighbors, however, in implementing market reform. The country has no important natural resources aside from its arable land and strategic location. Industry depends entirely on imported materials that have come from the republics of the former USSR. Lithuania benefits from its ice-free port at Klaipeda on the Baltic Sea and its rail and highway hub at Vilnius, which provides land communication between Eastern Europe and Russia, Latvia, Estonia, and Belarus. Industry produces a small assortment of high-quality products, ranging from complex machine tools to sophisticated consumer electronics. Thanks to nuclear power, Lithuania is presently self-sufficient in electricity, exporting its surplus to Latvia and Belarus; the nuclear facilities inherited from the USSR, however, have come under world scrutiny as seriously deficient in safety standards. Agriculture is efficient compared with most of the former Soviet Union. Lithuania holds first place in per capita consumption of meat, second place for eggs and potatoes, and fourth place for milk and dairy products. Grain must be imported to support the meat and dairy industries. As to economic reforms, Lithuania is pressing ahead with plans to privatize at least 60% of state-owned property (industry, agriculture, and housing) having already sold many small enterprises using a voucher system. Other government priorities include stimulating foreign investment by protecting the property rights of foreign firms and redirecting foreign trade away from Eastern markets to the more competitive Western markets. For the moment, Lithuania will remain highly dependent on Russia for energy, raw materials, grains, and markets for its products.GDP: purchasing power equivalent - $NA; per capita NA; real growth rate -13% (1991)Inflation rate (consumer prices): 200% (1991)Unemployment rate: NA%Budget: revenues 4.8 billion rubles; expenditures 4.7 billion rubles (1989 economic survey); note - budget revenues and expenditures are not given for other former Soviet republics; implied deficit from these figures does not have a clear interpretationExports: 700 million rubles (f.o.b., 1990) commodities: electronics 18%, petroleum products 16%, food 10%, chemicals 6% (1989) partners: Russia 60%, Ukraine 15%, other former Soviet republics 20%, West 5%Imports: 2.2 billion rubles (c.i.f., 1990) commodities: oil 24%, machinery 14%, chemicals 8%, grain NA% partners: NAExternal debt: $650 million (1991 est.)Industrial production: growth rate -1.3% (1991)Electricity: 5,875,000 kW capacity; 25,500 million kWh produced, NA kWh per capita (1991)

:Lithuania Economy

Industries: employs 25% of the labor force; its shares in the total production of the former USSR are metal-cutting machine tools 6.6%; electric motors 4.6%; television sets 6.2%; refrigerators and freezers 5.4%; other production includes petroleum refining, shipbuilding (small ships), furniture making, textiles, food processing, fertilizers, agricultural machinery, optical equipment, electronic components, computers, and amberAgriculture: employs 29% of labor force; sugar, grain, potatoes, sugarbeets, vegetables, meat, milk, dairy products, eggs, and fish; most developed are the livestock and dairy branches - these depend on imported grain; Lithuania is a net exporter of meat, milk, and eggsIllicit drugs: transshipment point for illicit drugs from Central and Southwest Asia to Western EuropeEconomic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (1992), $10 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-86), $NA million; Communist countries (1971-86), $NA millionCurrency: as of May 1992, retaining ruble as currency but planning early introduction of ``litas''Exchange rates: NAFiscal year: calendar year

Long-form name: noneType: overseas territory of Portugal; scheduled to revert to China in 1999Capital: MacauAdministrative divisions: 2 districts (concelhos, singular - concelho); Ilhas, MacauIndependence: none (territory of Portugal); Portugal signed an agreement with China on 13 April 1987 to return Macau to China on 20 December 1999; in the joint declaration, China promises to respect Macau's existing social and economic systems and lifestyle for 50 years after transitionConstitution: 17 February 1976, Organic Law of Macau; basic law drafted primarily by Beijing awaiting final approvalLegal system: Portuguese civil law systemNational holiday: Day of Portugal, 10 JuneExecutive branch: President of Portugal, governor, Consultative Council (cabinet)Legislative branch: Legislative AssemblyJudicial branch: Supreme CourtLeaders: Chief of State: President (of Portugal) Mario Alberto SOARES (since 9 March 1986) Head of Government: Governor Gen. Vasco Joachim Rocha VIEIRA (since 20 March 1991)Political parties and leaders: Association to Defend the Interests of Macau; Macau Democratic Center; Group to Study the Development of Macau; Macau Independent GroupSuffrage: universal at age 18Elections: Legislative Assembly: last held on 10 March 1991; results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (23 total; 8 elected by universal suffrage, 8 by indirect suffrage, and 7 appointed by the governor) number of seats by party NAOther political or pressure groups: wealthy Macanese and Chinese representing local interests, wealthy pro-Communist merchants representing China's interests; in January 1967 the Macau Government acceded to Chinese demands that gave China veto power over administrationMember of: IMO (associate), WTO (associate)Diplomatic representation: as Chinese territory under Portuguese administration, Macanese interests in the US are represented by Portugal US: the US has no offices in Macau, and US interests are monitored by the US Consulate General in Hong KongFlag: the flag of Portugal is used

Overview: Macedonia, although the poorest among the six republics of a disintegrated Yugoslav federation, can meet basic food and energy needs through its own agricultural and coal resources. As a breakaway republic, however, it will move down toward a bare subsistence level of life unless economic ties are reforged or enlarged with its neighbors Serbia, Albania, Greece, and Bulgaria. The economy depends on outside sources for all of its oil and gas and its modern machinery and parts. Continued political turmoil, both internally and in the region as a whole, prevents any swift readjustments of trade patterns and economic rules of the game. Inflation in early 1992 was out of control, the result of fracturing trade links, the decline in economic activity, and general uncertainties about the future status of the country; prices rose 38% in March 1992 alone. Macedonia's geographical isolation, technological backwardness, and political instability place it far down the list of countries of interest to Western investors. Recognition of Macedonia by the EC and an internal commitment to economic reform would help to encourage foreign investment over the long run.GDP: $7.1 billion, per capita $3,110; real growth rate -18% (1991 est.)Unemployment rate: 20% (1991 est.)Exports: $578 million (1990) commodities: manufactured goods 40%, machinery and transport equipment 14%, miscellaneous manufactured articles 23%, raw materials 7.6%, food (rice) and live animals 5.7%, beverages and tobacco 4.5%, chemicals 4.7% partners: principally Serbia and the other former Yugoslav republics, Germany, Greece, AlbaniaImports: $1,112 million (1990) commodities: fuels and lubricants 19%, manufactured goods 18%, machinery and transport equipment 15%, food and live animals 14%, chemicals 11.4%, raw materials 10%, miscellaneous manufactured articles 8.0%, beverages and tobacco 3.5% partners: other former Yugoslav republics, Greece, Albania, Germany, BulgariaExternal debt: $NAIndustrial production: growth rate -18% (1991 est.)Electricity: 1,600,000 kw capacity; 6,300 million kWh produced, 3,103 kWh per capita (1991)Industries: low levels of technology predominate, such as, oil refining by distillation only; produces basic fuels; mining and manufacturing processes result in the extraction and production of coal as well as metallic chromium, lead, zinc, and ferronickel; light industry produces basic textiles, wood products, and tobaccoAgriculture: provides 12% of Macedonia's GDP and meets the basic need for food; principal crops are rice, tobacco, wheat, corn, and millet; also grown are cotton, sesame, mulberry leaves, citrus fruit, and vegetables; Macedonia is one of the seven legal cultivators of the opium poppy for the world pharmaceutical industry, including some exports to the US; agricultural production is highly labor intensive